What is an Episcopalian

The Episcopal Church is sometimes called a “bridge” church, because of our strong affinities with both Roman Catholic and other Protestant churches and our respect for all faith traditions. Our worship consists of music, prayers, readings from Scripture and a sermon, followed by what we call the celebration of Holy Communion, a sacred act of remembering and re-living Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. Our worship is traditional in many ways, and quite innovative in others. It’s that combination of tradition and innovation that gives the Episcopal Church its distinct feel. We love to explore the deeper questions of life and faith, in the context of that deeper grounding.

The Episcopal Church celebrates diversity. We are young and old, male and female, gay and straight, single, married, divorced and widowed, Anglo, African American, Latino, African, Asian, CEO and unemployed, student and teacher, rich and poor. We worship together, study and ask questions as we move more deeply into the mystery of God.

There are no prerequisites in the Episcopal Church … Everyone is welcome.

Some things to know about Episcopalians:

We are Christians, followers of Jesus, who we believe to be the Son of God.

We walk the “middle way” between Protestant and catholic traditions. We often talk about the Episcopal Church as following the “via media” or middle way in our theology and discussions because we believe that, whether or not we agree on a particular topic, we all are children beloved by God and we can have thoughtful and respectful discussions.

We are people of the Book. The Bible is our sacred text and story. But we also acknowledge that the Bible is an ancient human document, full of all the contradictions and inconsistencies of humanity. We seek in Scripture spiritual inspiration, historical grounding for our faith, the teachings of Jesus and of the Hebrew prophets before him, and guidance for our own life of prayer and service.

We are people of community and of communion. For Episcopalians, our gathering in community and our common prayers are priceless. We don’t need to agree with one another about matters of faith, but we are called to pray together, with and for one another. We believe, as Jesus taught, that when two or three of us are gathered, He is in our midst, and we need the diversity of human community to embody God’s dream.

We are people of deep questioning and curiosity. We love the rituals of worship, and the open-mindedness of spiritual exploration.

We are committed to reaching out, beyond the Church, to seek and serve Christ in all persons. We strive to live by the example of Jesus Christ, welcoming the stranger and the outcast, helping our neighbors and offering love and forgiveness. We want our communities to be better because The Episcopal Church is here.